Benchmarking visit by the Uganda Local Authority Association

Created: 21 February 2017

The Uganda Local Authority Association (ULGA) is currently in Kenya on an Agricultural benchmarking trip. The Ugandan delegations visit was inspired by the fast growth of the Agriculture sector in Kenya since the implementation of Devolution. Some of the key topics that they were particularly interested in included the budgeting process for agriculture including

but not limited to the lessons and challenges that Kenya has experienced in the last 4 years. Additionally, the various agricultural innovations that Kenya has been able to implement and the results after. The delegation sought to learn from Kenya, because of the tremendous strides that we have been able to make in the last four years. The Ugandan decentralization reform which was initiated in 1992 is different from the Devolution process implemented in Kenya It was first enshrined in the Local Government (Resistance Councils) Statute of 1993 and later in the Constitution of 1995 and the Local Governments Act of 1997. The local government system is formed by a five-tier pyramidal structure, which consists of the village (LC1), parish (LC2), sub-county (LC3), county (LC4), and district (LC5) in rural areas, and the village (LC1), ward or parish (LC2), municipal division, The major difference between higher and lower local governments on the one hand and administrative units on the other hand is that only the first are corporate bodies with perpetuate succession and a common seal and can sue or be sued in their corporate name. Nevertheless, local governments and administrative units alike are made up by a set of political and administrative structures though these are of different magnitudes.However, In Kenya there is collaboration between, the national and county governments to ensure the successful and seamless implementation of devolution. In the same spirit, the delegation will be engaging the National Government through Philis Njane, Head of intergovernmental secretariat to further understand the implementation of National Government functions in the Agriculture sector. The meeting will focus on Policy and legislation, research, capacity building and technical, assistance to the counties, quality and standard and international trade. To cap off their trip, the delegation will travel to Makueni County on February 22nd where they will meet county officials in the agriculture ministry. The county has planned various field visit to value addition plants, produce markets agricultural mechanization stations and training centers as well as organized farmers groups supported by the county. The purpose of the visit to Makueni County is that the delegation will further understand the administrative and governance structure, agriculture and cooperative sector’s county score card and extension and agriculture financing at the county level.